The History of the Rickshaw - Exploitation or Tradition?

Article by Emily Geens. Edited by Ellie Veryard. Additional research by Jack Barnes.

The charm and mystique of the rickshaw has captured the Western imagination since the turn of the century, creating an Oriental image since its use in many Asian films and stories. This mode of transport has been around for a relatively short amount of time – 1869 to be precise. It is fairly ironic that today Westerners perceive the use of the rickshaw as an exploitative way of travelling when in fact it was first invented by a European missionary visiting Japan in order to transport his invalid wife through the bustling streets of Yokohama. Since its creation it has spread throughout Asian countries as it is an ideal way of travelling through their typically busy streets and roads, as well as carrying large amounts of goods to rural areas.

The first rickshaw in China was imported from Japan in 1874 and became the most popular way of transportation for foreigners and the wealthy Chinese. However, after the Communist party was created under Chairman Mao in 1949, the fate of the Chinese rickshaw was soon to be condemned. Under Mao’s radical reforms during the 1950s, he believed the use of rickshaws was capitalist and would send the wrong message to his Communist people; he could hardly have poor workers pulling rich bourgeoisie around in his new tightly regimented Communist country! As a result, for the past sixty odd years or so, the use of the rickshaw has been mainly confined to the cities of India where it is about to meet the second defeat in its history.

For Western societies, the concept of a rickshaw may seem somewhat strange when considering that they are powered by a man walking or running before the cart in blistering heat and exceptionally harsh conditions. Its usage has in fact cropped up in many human rights debates in recent years as it is believed that this particular mode of transport is exploiting the poorest of workers. As a result, since the turn of the century there have been many laws passed to ban rickshaws in Asia, diminishing its use in many countries. Now, in 2011, the last fleet of rickshaws can be found in Calcutta, India, where rickshaw workers (called rickshaw wallahs) have managed to resist the global bans.

Many rickshaw wallahs rely on their meagre wage (usually less than £2 a day) to feed themselves and their families, as well as to pay the broker that the rickshaw belongs to. This feudalistic manner of work can only be described as

exploitative; once in this vicious circle, the rickshaw wallahs cannot escape until they quit or die. Day after day, year after year, these wallahs have to run along burning hot roads barefoot, in sizzling heat or during the worst of monsoons, pulling passengers in a cart behind them. Instead of returning to their family homes for the night, they are usually forced to spend the night in their rickshaw or on a straw mattress in their broker’s home. Their willingness to continue under such atrocious conditions and resist the Calcutta ban shows just how much they need these jobs.

In recent months these rickshaw wallahs, despite their previous protests, have run into danger as the Calcutta government wishes to ban their use. The problem lies not only in their poor levels of safety but the legality of their use. It was estimated in 1992 that over 30,000 rickshaws were operating in Calcutta with all but 6,000 of them running without a license (no new licenses have been issued since 1945). As a result, the government have decided to use low profile methods to drive them off the streets, regardless of how unlawful they may be. Many are beaten up by taxi drivers who find them running in their path and others are thrown into prison by policemen attempting to enforce bans of rickshaws.  Abdul Sattar, a veteran rickshaw puller, says: “Come Friday and local police begin to raid the areas where we pull our rickshaws. Often we are locked inside the police stations and fined. If you don’t pay the fine, you end up staying longer in the police station. We consider ourselves extremely lucky if we avoid a beating.”

The question then is why are the rickshaw wallahs continuing to protest? The answer is simple; working as a rickshaw wallah is their only form of work and without the provision of other jobs they have to protest, however tough their work may be. Some are evidently worn out, yet the majority insist that there is no other option. One man, Narain Rai when interviewed by the BBC concerning his job, claimed that, “During summer the mercury goes past 45C. You hate being anywhere near the sun. But despite the sweltering heat, we carry out our duties, without the wages, we have nothing.”

So is the use of rickshaws exploitation or tradition? Well, yes and no. Although thousands of rickshaw wallahs have spent decades of their lives pulling these contraptions, sometimes into their old age, it is the only work they can find. The work may be gruelling and humiliating, but without them, many young men would die before the age of 30 from malnutrition or diseases from the streets. This cannot justify their use, but it does reveal that some alternative form of work has to be provided as otherwise these Calcutta rickshaw wallahs will continue until death. If the Calcutta government want to continue fighting against the use of rickshaws, they must at least provide a sufficient pension plan, or create further jobs. Although it may be exploitative, banning the rickshaws without provision of extra jobs runs against any human rights argument in itself. Thus the history of the rickshaw, a unique form of travel, is coming to a close in the 21st century, and perhaps it is about time. They may have been useful before the tide of modernity, but when combined, they fought the losing battle and are now eventually being put to rest.

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Rickshaw comes from the Japanese word ‘Jinrikisha’, which literally means ‘man powered vehicle’.

The Rickshaw first appeared in India in 1880, and in Calcutta 2 decades later.

Many of the rickshaw pullers in Calcutta come from Bihar, one of India’s poorest states.

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